Drawers are commonly used in daily life in kitchens, bedrooms, offices, etc. to store a wide range of articles, some of which may be harmful to children. Small children may also attempt to climb on, or even in, drawers and cabinets in an effort to hide. Drawers and cabinets may house many types of materials which may be potentially hazardous to children such as medicines, household cleaners, knives, tools, paint, etc.
To prevent young children from accessing these storage areas, numerous items have been patented and sold, most of a multi-piece assembly. Generally, some sort of a longitudinal member with a hook portion is attached to the inside surface of a drawer or door to limit the amount the drawer or door may be opened. The hook portion may engage with a stop installed on a frame portion of the cabinet as the drawer or door is withdrawn. Only a small space may then remain for an adult to insert their finger to depress the longitudinal member such that the hook may clear the stop on the frame of the enclosure.
In many cases, these latches require at least two components, which need alignment during installation or adjustment after installation. These components generally include a stop portion, or catch, attached to the enclosure and a hook portion attached to the inside of the drawer. This mechanism may further require a biasing member (springs, etc.) to bias the hook member against the stop member.
What is needed is a “child-proof” safety latch that is easy to install on the inside surface of a drawer, or door, and which includes more than one action which must be actuated to release the latch. Thus, a drawer, or cabinet door, may only be partially opened and its contents kept secure from children. Upon actuation of the more than one action by an adult, the contents may become accessible.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a latch which may preferably be moulded of plastic to provide a low cost safety latch.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a childproof safety latch which may be easily installed on the interior of a drawer or door without the need for taking measurements.